Japanese souffle pancakes is having its moment in Southern CA.
To me, they’re more dessert than breakfast/brunch, and all of these Japanese souffle eateries rank high on the Instagram-worthy scale but not so much on the Stomach-worthy scale.
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Maybe it’s because they just opened (~ 2 months ago)?
Give it a few more weeks.
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We have had soufflé pancakes available in Toronto for around 6 years. Fuwa Fuwa has a few locations, including a location in the Annex.
Hanabusa in Kensington Market had been the first location serving soufflé pancakes downtown. It closed at some point over the past 2 years.
One of the most asked questions amongst various Toronto food blogs was " Where is the BEST AYCE Japanese sushi joint in town ".
In the past, due to questionable quality of products and unrefined food preparation usually associated with such establishments, I normally give them a pass…until " MOMO-KOKO PREMIUM JAPANESE AYCE , on Warden & Steeles ’ comes along!
Photos of some of their ‘impressive’ offerings speak for themselves!..miso black-cod, Sashimi using imported fish from Japan, Maki rolls topped with seared Foie Gras, Aburi Sushi using Hamachi as neta…etc
Definitely a prime AYCE candidate!
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Over Pressure Club, in the old Northwood space on Bloor just west of Christie Pits, across the street from Banoi and Chantecler, has started serving a Japanese brunch. They also have a patio.
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The food was pretty good for dinner, so hope the brunch is similar.
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I was hoping they would serve omurice.
It’s not on the menu.
Here are the 6 brunch mains.
Omurice is probably a little fussy for this kind of restaurant’s brunch. I miss Coo Café Bread or Rice.
Lost In Tokyo is a cute Japanese parfait spot at 511 Queen W east of Bathurst. It was very busy this afternoon.
I would have stopped if it wasn’t a full house. Slight DineSafe record fwiw
Where would you recommend for tempura south of Bloor?
…
Unable to wash hands or dishes properly is, in my opinion, not slight. It shows disregard for your employees and customers. That is not the ethos I seek in a business that serves the public.
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Agreed absolutely. Health code is based on science and not feelings. Recently at a popular dessert spot in Kensington market I saw multiple dogs in the food area (not service animals) and when I pointed it out to the manager I was told to leave and given a lecture how the keep their food so well prepped! One can whatever they want at their home but at retail they have to follow the health code period!
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I would just take a picture and send a report here: https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/health-wellness-care/health-inspections-monitoring/safe-complaints/?prog=DS
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I did report it as that’s part of the reporting it that one has to talk to the manager and if they don’t do anything you report it
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My experience is the pandemic has emboldened part of our population and I prefer to avoid confrontations and adding additional stress in my life. So I just report to DineSafe and let them deal with it. I’ve found DineSafe has been pretty responsive to the reports. There’s a Chinese BBQ place in old Chinatown that I’ve reported on and DineSafe has been responsive in inspecting and issuing yellows and then red. But then of course they changed their name to erase all history of inspections (but same owners and staff). They’re still very popular though but I’m never visiting them again.
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The DineSafe discussion & WanderingFoodie’s story about the repeat violator got me to browsing the DS website a bit. I came across Sushi Cafe Bon Gong in Village by the Grange:
Over the last 2 years they’ve had
- 5 Conditional Pass
- 2 Pass with minimal infractions
- 3 Pass (and 2 of those were immediate follow-ups after a CP)
I wonder if there’s ever a consequence to such incompetence.
My friend is a health inspector.
Yes, there are consequences.
My friend had shut down one food court restaurant for close to 2 weeks because the owner would not comply.
In the food court case, which involved insect infestation, the owner had painted over grease buildup rather than cleaning it with a wire brush and disinfectants. While the inspector explained what the owner had to do to make the kitchen safe and for the restaurant to be allowed to open again, a roach walked across the counter in front of them.
In Aug 2019, I dined at one longtime downtown Chinatown restaurant the day before it was given several significant warnings. I had noticed things weren’t as tidy as they once were. The restaurant fixed things. It’s still open and fairly busy. I haven’t been back because I think the staff knew better. That restaurant has been around a long time, has a large staff, and has been getting checked by DineSafe for ages.
I am grateful that Toronto runs DineSafe and posts their results.
Back in 2003, she and her colleagues would mention which restaurants had spotless kitchens, and she would share those with me.
A clueless or reckless employ can cause a lot of damage, and not be following protocols, so I tend to not take the minor warnings that seriously after the restaurant has a pass.
There is a course run by the City Public Health Department that restaurant owners take, to make sure they know how to store food and prepare food properly.
Yeah I know they do follow up which is much appreciated however not sure how it’s enforced.
Example a more defunct Ice cream spot had a dog in the kitchen prep area!!! I talked to the manager/owner and was told oh the ‘pet’ isn’t feeling well! So it’s fine to have it in the kitchen as it needs company. Needless to say I didn’t go back.
An Ottawa Cafe which is very popular even put a sign that even though the city says pets aren’t allowed but service animals are we won’t ask whether it’s a pet or service animal. The sign itself should be a reason to get a citation imo.
Sigh
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Who knows. And these days, a lot of enforcement is not taking place.
Canadians don’t seem to do the honour system that well lately.
I do vote with my feet. I don’t go back to places where I see people prepare food after handling cash, without gloves or handwashing.
I think it’s a bit of a whisper network sometimes, for knowing which places are unsafe.
I recently was called out by someone on Reddit for spreading hate about a restaurant. I had mentioned the bad meal on HO in 2 posts in Dec 2023, and twice on Reddit in 2024, in a thread where someone asked about worst restaurant experiences, and in another thread about food in Chinatown.
I ended up deleting most posts on HO about it. I don’t need some restaurant owner (or relative of a restaurant owner) ,with a grudge, harassing me online.
I’m happy to exchange DMs with anyone for the restaurants I won’t touch with a ten foot pole.
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We dined at Edomae Kiyomi many times several years ago both their sushi and tempura omakase which are separate bars with the tempura side being on the inside. I recall their tempura were pretty good but it’s hard to compare in Toronto since I think they’re the only game of its kind in town. If you haven’t tried, I would recommend it.
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